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Objective To examine the effects of ionizing radiation on blood pressure and electrocardiography among healthcare workers in department of cardiovascular diseases, and to provide a reference for formulating the protective interventions against radiation exposure. Methods A total of 127 healthcare workers with radiation exposure in the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases of The 904th Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force of the PLA from 2018 to 2022 were included in the observation group. Meanwhile, 127 age- and gender-matched healthcare workers without radiation exposure in the same department during the same study period were included in the control group. The systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and the detection rates of hypertension and abnormal electrocardiography were compared between groups. Results There were no significant differences between groups in mean age (t = 0.77, P > 0.05), sex (χ2 = 0.02, P > 0.05), prevalence of smoking (χ2 = 0.28, P > 0.05), and alcohol consumption (χ2 = 0.02, P > 0.05). There were significant differences between the observation and control groups in systolic blood pressure [(127.77 ± 15.43) mmHg vs. (111.23 ± 19.10) mmHg; t = 4.21, P < 0.05], diastolic blood pressure [(79.32 ± 8.23) mmHg vs. (69.91 ± 10.21) mmHg; t = 4.09, P < 0.05], prevalence of hypertension [17.32% (22/127) vs. 8.66% (11/127); χ2 = 4.21, P < 0.05], heart rate [(81.10 ± 11.27) beats/min vs. (70.45 ± 10.55) beats/min; t = 4.33, P < 0.05], and abnormal rate of electrocardiography [21.26% (27/127) vs. 10.24% (13/127); χ2 = 5.82, P < 0.05]. Conclusion Ionizing radiation affects blood pressure and electrocardiography among healthcare workers in department of cardiovascular diseases. The prevention and monitoring of radiation exposure and occupational physical examination should be improved among healthcare workers with exposure to radiation in the department of cardiovascular diseases, with aims to reduce the hazard of radiation exposure and protect the health of healthcare workers.
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The thyroid gland is highly sensitive to the carcinogenic effects of radiation exposure during childhood and adolescence. Epidemiological data have shown that exposure to ionizing radiation during childhood and adolescence results in an increased risk of thyroid cancer, and most cases of radiation-induced thyroid cancer are diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma. The risk of radiation-induced thyroid cancer is affected by radiation dose, age, latency period, iodine status, chemotherapy, and body mass index. Therefore, proper use of physical shielding and prompt administration of stable iodine can be adopted to minimize the risk of radiation-induced thyroid cancer.
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As confusion mounts over RNA isoforms involved in phenotypic plasticity, aberrant CpG methylation-mediated disruption of alternative splicing is increasingly recognized as a driver of intratumor heterogeneity (ITH). Protease serine 3 (PRSS3), possessing four splice variants (PRSS3-SVs; PRSS3-V1-V4), is an indispensable trypsin that shows paradoxical effects on cancer development. Here, we found that PRSS3 transcripts and their isoforms were divergently expressed in lung cancer, exhibiting opposing functions and clinical outcomes, namely, oncogenic PRSS3-V1 and PRSS3-V2 versus tumor-suppressive PRSS3-V3, by targeting different downstream genes. We identified an intragenic CpG island (iCpGI) in PRSS3. Hypermethylation of iCpGI was mediated by UHRF1/DNMT1 complex interference with the binding of myeloid zinc finger 1 (MZF1) to regulate PRSS3 transcription. The garlic-derived compound diallyl trisulfide cooperated with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine to exert antitumor effects in lung adenocarcinoma cells through site-specific iCpGI demethylation specifically allowing MZF1 to upregulate PRSS3-V3 expression. Epigenetic silencing of PRSS3-V3 via iCpGI methylation (iCpGIm) in BALF and tumor tissues was associated with early clinical progression in patients with lung cancer but not in those with squamous cell carcinoma or inflammatory disease. Thus, UHRF1/DNMT1-MZF1 axis-modulated site-specific iCpGIm regulates divergent expression of PRSS3-SVs, conferring nongenetic functional ITH, with implications for early detection of lung cancer and targeted therapies.
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@#<b>Objective</b> To examine the possible effect of ionizing radiation on thyroid function among medical workers in the department of cardiovascular medicine. <b>Methods</b> Forty-six medical workers in the department of cardiovascular medicine with exposure to ionizing radiation were enrolled as the study subjects. Subjects’ demographic features were collected. Serum free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were measured using chemiluminescence assay, and the annual personal dose equivalent (<i>H</i>p (10)) received in 2019 and the fiver-year cumulative <i>H</i>p (10) from 2015 to 2019 were measured using a thermoluminescent personal dosimeter. The associations of altered thyroid functions with subjects’ age, sex, previous history of thyroid diseases, family history of thyroid diseases, working post, work seniority, and previous history of exposure to ionizing radiation were evaluated using an exact logistic regression model. <b>Results</b> The incidence of subclinical hypothyroidism (elevated serum TSH level without alteration in fT3 or fT4 level) was 6.5% among the study subjects. The <i>H</i>p (10) was 0 to 4.5 mSv among the subjects in 2019, with a mean dose of (0.2 ± 0.7) mSv and a median dose of 0 mSv, and the five-year cumulative <i>H</i>p (10) from 2015 to 2019 was 0 to 11.6 mSv, with a mean dose of (0.8 ± 2.3) mSv and a median dose of 0 mSv. The exact logistic regression analysis showed that the altered thyroid functions were not significantly associated with age, sex, previous history of thyroid diseases, family history of thyroid diseases, working post, work seniority, or previous history of exposure to ionizing radiation (all <i>P</i> > 0.05). <b>Conclusion</b> Long-term exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation may be associated with an increased risk of subclinical hypothyroidism among medical workers in the department of cardiovascular medicine.
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@#It has been recognized that long-term exposure of the heart to high-dose ionizing radiation can result in cardiac injury. Nevertheless, recent epidemiological, experimental, and clinical studies have demonstrated that exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation may also cause cardiovascular injury via various mechanisms. This article reviews the cardiac injury and potential cardiovascular risk caused by ionizing radiation, summarizes the currently available non-invasive approaches used for detecting radiation-induced cardiac injury, and proposes interventions to prevent and alleviate it, with the hope of providing a reference for early identification and interventions for radiation-induced cardiac injury.